Komori: Significant Sales Activity On Graph Expo Show Floor

Thursday, October 09, 2003

Press release from the issuing company

(October 9, 2003 Rolling Meadows, IL) “We are pleased with the activity at Graph Expo and are optimistic about the state of the printing market,” says Komori America President and COO, Stephan Carter. “We had a full house at all the demonstrations of our Lithrone 28P and at the demonstrations we conducted in our showroom in Rolling Meadows. Printers are becoming aware that new presses with new technology are key to growing their business and becoming more profitable.”
The new Komori perfector design, shown at Graph Expo on a six color Lithrone 28P, will be introduced on the 2003 GATF InterTech Technology award winning Lithrone S40 next month. The perfector changeover can be done with the touch of a button; it requires no operator intervention or special tools. The updated perfector design features the Lithrone standard double diameter cylinder configuration, even at the perfector, that sets the standard for precision sheet handling and smooth paper flow. On this new perfector press, the sheet is always controlled by grippers. This positive mechanical control of the sheet reduces registration errors and dropped sheets, and is especially important when perfecting thicker stocks like 18 pt. board.
The 2003 GATF InterTech Technology Award winning Komori Lithrone S40, made its US debut at Graph Expo 02. Customers interested in viewing this technology were transported to Komori America’s facility in Rolling Meadows for demonstrations during Graph Expo 03. “This press continues to amaze people,” says Komori America Product Manager, Doug Schardt. “The print quality on the LS is unsurpassed and the advanced technology and ease of operation were of great interest to the printers who came to our demo facility. There was significant interest in the press.”
“We’ve got 20 LS presses in operation in the US since it’s introduction a year ago, and several other press sales in the pipeline. Given the tough economy, we think this is a real testament to the quality of this machine,” says Carter.
Visitors to the Komori facility also had the opportunity to see a demonstration on the Lithrone SP, the Komori Super Perfector that enables one pass, two sided printing with unrivaled front-to-back registration accuracy. With print speeds up to 13,000 sph, the Lithrone Super Perfector provides the efficiency of a web press with the flexibility and quality of a sheetfed press. Komori also announced that it is testing the Lithrone SP with a double coater, a configuration that enables the press to print and coat on both sides of the sheet in one pass. “The addition of this feature to the SP will make it an even more attractive offering,” says Carter. Komori will have 10 SP presses in operation at US locations by the end of 2003.
“From our perspective, Graph Expo was the launching pad for a strong finish to this year,” says Carter. “With our current product offering and the products we’ll be introducing in the next several months, we believe we’re in a position to see some significant sales activity,” concludes Carter. “We’ve got some real momentum going, and look forward to sustaining this high level of activity.”
Komori Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a premier manufacturer and worldwide distributor of offset printing presses. The Company has manufacturing facilities in Toride, Sekiyado, Yamagata and Tsukuba, Japan, and subsidiaries in Europe, the UK and the United States. Komori America Corporation is based in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and manages a distribution and service network throughout the United States.